


Artists and Florists

by bluejaythebeautiful



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Flower Shop & Tattoo Parlor, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Cafe/Bookshop combo, Fluff, Keenser is Scotty's dog, M/M, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Southern Cooking
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-09
Updated: 2016-12-03
Packaged: 2018-07-13 23:32:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,249
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7142849
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluejaythebeautiful/pseuds/bluejaythebeautiful
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Enterprise Way- you’d think it would be surrounded by streets like Research Park Boulevard, Discovery Drive, or Voyager Way, and have businesses such as Hexagon, Dynetics, and other researching companies.</p><p>But, no. </p><p>Enterprise Way was a dingy old street where the businesses were locally owned and everyone knew each other.  </p><p>A modern-day Star Trek au where everyone owns exactly what you'd think they would.<br/>Except they don't.<br/>It's a weird street.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. New Neighbor?

 Enterprise Way- you'd think it would be surrounded with streets like Research Park Boulevard, Discovery Drive, or Voyager Way, and have businesses such as Hexagon, Dynetics, and other researching companies.

 

 But, no.

 

Enterprise Way was a dingy old street where the businesses were locally owned and everyone knew each other.

 

McSpirk Cafe and Bookshop was by far the most popular out of the ones that lined the street, owned by Jim Kirk, Spock Grayson, and Leonard McCoy. The three men each brought their own interests and tastes to their cafe. Jim loved old books, and like selling them, and Spock was a tea and coffee connoisseur. 

 

And Leonard?

 

Leonard wanted to bring "homestlye Georgian cookin'" to public masses, using his mama and grandmama's recipes in the kitchen. The cafe was the best place to get Southern pancakes whenever you wanted. (That, and Leonard gave lectures on medical science at least once every week to the local college kids. He was their saving grace, as one aspiring doctor, who had been struggling before then, put it.)

 

Down the street was Scott's Auto Repair. Owned by the loud-mouthed Montgomery "Scotty" Scott, it had a steady inflow of broken-down cars and requests to fix misbehaving appliances in the nearby shops. The Scottish man often brought his old mutt, Keenser, down to the garage, and the half-blind dog liked patrolling the street and visiting businesses to be pet by patrons and owners alike.

 

 

Right next to the cafe was a language class taught by a beautiful woman named Nyota Uhura. She knew at least sixteen different languages, and delighted in teaching them to her students. Nyota was a brilliant teacher, envied by all, and her students occasionally gifted her with coffee and pastries on days they felt like she needed it.

 

A tattoo parlor sat across from the "classroom". Its owner, Hikaru Sulu, was a very artistic man whose designs mostly involved plant life. Sketches of flowers, leaves, and vines littered his desk, and his arms were covered in the final products. The other store owners sometimes popped in for tattoo touch-ups, and on the rare occasion, a new one, trusting Hikaru to get it right the first try. The man sometimes complained of being the only one on his side of the street, as the storefront next to him was empty, and he often thought of buying the place and expanding his own.

 

This was soon to change, however.

 

Early one morning, as Hikaru pulled up behind his parlor, he was met with a peculiar sight. A large truck was parked in the lot for the employees, and men were carrying dozens of flower arrangements into the empty place next door. He noticed a man off to the side, overseeing the move and giving the men directions as to where to put the flowers.

 

"That goes in the front, please. Put those seeds on the side, like I said earlier. Be careful with that!" he was saying in a Russian accent, while snatching a display away from the mover he was talking to.

 

Hikaru paused in unlocking the back door to his shop. "Need any help?" he called out.

 

The newcomer jumped and spun around, obviously not expecting the offer. "Oh, no, thank you! I am fine!" He hastily walked over. "Are you my neighbor here?"

 

"Yes, I run this tattoo parlor. Um, Hikaru Sulu, at your service," Hikaru answered quickly, flustered because _holy shit,_ this man was fucking  _adorable._ His curly hair stuck up in odd angles, and his large emerald eyes widened even further at Hikaru's reaction.

 

"P-pavel Chekov, at yours," he answered, shaking Hikaru's outstretched hand. He shifted his bouquet to his other hand as he dug in the pockets of his apron, finally extracting a ring of keys. "It's nearly opening time, I have to go, but it was nice meeting you!"

 

Hikaru laughed and finished unlocking his door. "It was nice meeting you, too, Pavel. How about we meet up after we close our stores in the cafe across the street? That way you could meet other people nearby." _And I can find out more about you,_ he thought. He didn't know why he felt drawn to this stranger, but he liked it.

 

Pavel smiled and nodded quickly. "I'd like that, yes! I close at 6:00, is that a good time?"

 

"Yeah, six works. I'll see you then," Hikaru said. He gave the other man a quick wave before pulling open the door and going inside. It was only after he had unlocked the front door and flipped on the "Open" sign that a terrifying, yet welcome, thought struck him.

 

  
_Did I just ask Pavel Chekov out on a date?_  

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

To be honest, six o’clock couldn’t come fast enough for Hikaru. The day seemed to drag on, especially when there were no customers. He’d glance at the clock every so often, annoyed to see that the hands had barely moved an inch every time.

Janice, one of his two employees, sighed. “Sulu, why do you keep looking over there? You’re not normally this anxious. What happened?”  
“I’m just… waiting for something,” Hikaru replied. “Closing time, that is.”

From the corner, Hikaru’s other coworker piped up. “Sounds like you have a date, boss. Is he cute?” Kevin said, not looking up from writing something down in the appointment book. 

Hikaru nodded, though the other man couldn’t see it. “Very. How’d you know?”

Kevin shut the appointment book and set his pencil down. “Closing time. That’s what you’re waiting for, so it’s something after work. It makes sense.” He went back to humming that old Irish song he loved under his breath, flipping the roster open again. “By the way, we have someone coming in tomorrow at 3:00 to finish their tattoo.”

Janice got up to look over Kevin’s shoulder. “Oh, yeah, the one that I did last time. Glad to finish that complicated thing.” She looked over at Hikaru. “Good luck on winning him over. You probably don’t need it, but I’m wishing it anyway.” She went back to her station and began organizing her inks.

“Thanks, Janice,” Hikaru said before looking back at the clock. To his relief, it was 5:30. (Not that it was 5:25 last time he looked.) “Only half an hour left,” he muttered. He pulled out a sketchbook, but could not think of anything to draw, so he reluctantly put it back.

Suddenly, the door opened. All three heads popped up, ready for a customer, but to Hikaru’s surprise, it was Pavel who had entered.

“Umm, sorry if I’m intruding on anything,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. “I’ve had very few customers today, and I was wondering if you wanted to go early?” Hie eyes flickered between Hikaru, Janice, and Kevin, obviously nervous.

Hikaru stood, much too quickly for his liking. “Sure! We’ve been having a slow day as well, so I think we’ll be okay, won’t we, guys?” He turned to Janice and Kevin for reassurance. 

Janice nodded and slyly winked at Hikaru. “Go ahead, we can handle it. Have fun! Where are you going?”

Pavel answered, not catching the wink. “The cafe across the street. I, uhh, don’t believe I’ve met you? I’m Pavel Chekov. I’m right next door.” 

“Janice Rand. That’s Kevin Riley over there,” she replied. Kevin simply waved, not saying a word.

Hikaru went around Pavel to the door. “Shall we?” He opened the door and ushered Pavel outside, shooting a quick thumbs up to his coworkers before leading the way to McSpirk Cafe and Bookshop.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay so, yes, I've seen Beyond, but I have no idea how to incorporate the thing revealed into the fic. Anyone who's seen it knows what I'm talking about. (God, I loved the thing. I internally squealed in the theater today. The thing was great.) Next chapter may have that.
> 
> Some TOS chars here too! Janice Rand and Kevin Riley are awesome!
> 
> I have a writing blog now! http://cupcakewriting.tumblr.com/ Send in some prompts and stuff!


	3. Chapter 3

Hikaru pulled the door open as soon as he reached it, moving out of the way so Pavel could enter. Following, he took note of Leonard’s daughter, Joanna, playing on what looked like a DS while she waited for at least one of her fathers to finish his shift. Pavel lead Hikaru to a table near the window and sat down.

 

“It’s quite nice in here,” Pavel said as he pulled a copy of  _ Two Towers _ off of the shelf next to him. He flipped through the pages, not noticing when someone approached their table.

 

“ _Two Towers_ , huh? I relate to Eomer, he’s inspiring. I don’t think I’ve met you?” Leonard McCoy leaned on the table, tilting his head and looking at Pavel curiously. “You look as if you just got off of work.”

 

Hikaru smiled as he watched the two men chat, but turned as he saw movement out of the corner of his eye. Demora had come out of the back and slid into the seat across from Joanna, and the two girls were giggling at something.

 

Leonard glanced over at his daughter. “Oh, yeah, didn’t find time to text you, but Ben dropped Demora off here about an hour ago. Joanna begged me to let her stay, and I knew you were close by, so I thought it was fine. Ben told me to say hi to you for him.” He pulled his notebook out of his pocket and flipped it open. “The usual?”

 

“Uhh, yeah, sure.” Hikaru looked to Pavel. “I recommend the pancakes, they’re the best.” He saw Leonard puff up with pride next to him.

 

Pavel nodded. “Pancakes, then. And decaf, if you have it.” He looked over Hikaru’s shoulder at Demora, then back at Leonard. “Thank you.”

 

“I’ll make sure it comes out quickly,” Leonard said as he jotted their orders down on his notebook. He turned and headed back to the kitchens.

 

Hikaru finally noticed Pavel’s dejected face. “What’s wrong? I thought you would like it here…”

 

“Who’s Ben? And Demora?” Pavel asked quietly. He looked up at Hikaru, eyes wide. “I didn’t think you were married!”

 

Hikaru quickly shook his head. “No no no no! Ben’s my ex-husband. We were pretty happy for a while, and we adopted Demora when she was two. I don’t know what happened, but we grew apart, and ended up divorcing a couple of years ago. Demora’s ten now, nearly eleven, and I get to see here every other week. I don’t have to see Ben much anymore, and I don’t know if I’m grateful or disappointed.” He sighed, folding his arms on the table. “I loved him, but it just kinda… Stopped.”

 

“Oh. I’m sorry,” Pavel said, not knowing anything else to say. He didn’t look up from the table as Leonard returned with their drinks, and didn’t say a word when his mug was slid over to him. He heard Leonard says something about five minutes, and he knew Hikaru replied, but he was too busy thinking to figure it out.

 

Hikaru sighed, shrugging and picking up his cup. “Don’t be. It was for the best.”

 

“What are Demora’s favorite colors? And flowers?” Pavel suddenly asked, glancing over at the girl. He saw her tap angrily at her DS’s screen- evidently she was losing a battle to Joanna.

 

“Reds and yellows. She doesn’t care what flowers they are. Why?” Hikaru furrowed his brows and took a sip of his coffee. “That’s an odd question.”

 

Pavel shrugged and swirled his mug around. “I just wanted to know if she’d like something to decorate her room with. If you don’t think it’s a good idea, I can-”

 

“No, that’s perfect,” Hikaru said, cutting him off. “She’d enjoy it. Get some blue and gold ones for in here, too. It would fit. Ask Nyota as well, but Scotty’s not going to want any, he’s too disorganized. Nowhere to put them.” 

 

Pavel tilted his head, setting down his mug. “I take it the owners here are all close friends?” he asked.

 

Leonard showed up again, placing the two men’s food in front of him. “That is correct, Pavel. I don’t have time to explain, so, Hikaru, you’ll have to tell the story.” He gave a quick wave before heading to another table.

 

“So, Scotty’s the mechanic here... “ Hikaru began, leaning over. Pavel listened as they both ate, and when Hikaru’s story was done and the food was gone, he offered to pay. Hikaru protested, but Pavel was firm.

 

“We have to meet up again soon,” Hikaru said. “I’ll pay next time.”

 

Pavel nodded, pulling out his phone. “What’s your number? I can text you details.” 

 

“Here, I’ll put it in,” Hikaru said as he took the phone. “I’ll text myself so I can have yours.” He looked up as he felt someone wrap an arm around his shoulders. “Demora?”

 

“Papa won’t have very good ideas. That’s what he has me for!” The ten-year-old grinned, flipping her hair back. She removed her arm and turned to Hikaru. “Jo was wondering if I could sleep over? Sock said no, but since Jim and Bones said yes, it’s okay with them!”

 

Hikaru sighed. “You can. They need a better decision making system than two out of three means yes. I swear, those three…”

 

Demora had already run off, presumably back to Joanna, so only Pavel had heard the last part. “If it works for them…” he said, shrugging. He checked the time on his phone as Hikaru handed it back. “It’s getting late, I have to go. See you tomorrow?” he asked, suddenly shy.

 

Nodding, Hikaru stood. “I guess that means I’d better get home, too. And, yeah, of course. Good night.” He walked Pavel back to the lot behind their buildings, and drove off with the night’s events replaying in his mind. _That was fun_ , he thought, and he couldn’t wait for the next time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> look at me, actually updating after four or five months  
> sorry for the wait lol  
> I know Ben and Hikaru are married in AOS canon, but I had already started this of as Chulu and, unfortunately, had to make them divorced. I really wanted Demora in here, too, so obviously, she's a thing. She's best friends with Joanna (who's her age) and got the crap beaten out of her in Pokemon.   
> I did mean to type "Sock" instead of "Spock". It's the girls' nickname for him. It won't be in the story, but Bones is "Dad" and Jim is "Pops" to Joanna. She's still Leonard's biological daughter from the divorce he mentioned in the first movie.  
> As for Demora, Ben is "Dad". I don't know why I had these headcanons, but I felt a need to share them lol  
> I want to finish this in five chapters, but I feel like that's not going to happen. Any ideas on how to wrap this up before the New Year? I'm doing a writing challenge and I need to finish my last couple of stories up before then!

**Author's Note:**

> No, I know nothing about how businesses work, so bear with me. And I'm sorry if I go a little OOC, I've only really seen AOS and this is my first fic for this fandom!
> 
> This might be made into a series! I was thinking about doing a story about how some of the shops came to be, or maybe just one about McSpirk. I don't know.
> 
> Credit for this idea goes to the wonderful fangorn-phantump on tumblr! She and I were talking about this a couple of months ago, and I finally got around to actually writing it! Now, if only I could do the same for the other 87 AU ideas we've talked about in class...  
> Find me at stuckyonacupcake on tumblr!


End file.
